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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1900)
April 15, 1000. OMAHA I L LIT ST It AT 15 1 HIS 15. WHITE TAFFETA HOD1CE. I) LACK TULLE HAT jf n I'OKE-SllAl'EI) HON NET The Woman Choir Singer of Today Tho evolution of tho woman choir singer has been no less drastic and fruitful than woman's entrance into tho trades and pro fcsslons. In all countries, previous to this century, tho femalo voice was denied placo In dlvlno worship. In Italy, Spain and Rus sia today tho woman chorister is unknown and she has little or no part In tho church choirs of Franco outsldo of Paris. Tho early Puritan church denouncod singing as Quak erish and Poporlsh. Until after tho Ameri can revolution woman's right to lift her volco In- sacred Bong In church was as vig orously contested as was her possession of a soul In tho days of Plato. Today city churches compote for tho highest cultured women eololsts, and their cholco Is only lim ited by thalr treasury. Tho salary of women soloists ranges from $300 to $1,500 a year, whllo instances are not wanting where a soloist has recolved $3,000 a year. With tho adoption of choir system In 1700 and tolerance of tho woman singer, question rose as to tho placo tho choir should occupy In mooting houses. In warrants Issued for town meotlngs in Now England an artlclo was Inserted asking that liberty bo granted singers to elt togother In some convenient placo In church. Old mooting houses had thrco or four long seats In front of tho pul pit on each side of tho broad alslo for aged and deaf and those unablo to purchase pows. Similar scats wero reserved In tho galleries on right and loft of pulpit. Sometimes there were squnro pews In front of tho gallery. Whoro to seat tho slngors was tho Gibraltar upon which Epllt pareon, deacon and elder. Singing was first dono on tho ground floor, and somo slngors preferred to continue there. Four of tho seats wero partitioned ' making long pews. Whon they roso to own iuu irout seais raced about, it was considered Important for tho singers to faco each othor, to that tho voices might mlnglo and harmonize. Tho next liberty granted was a seat in tho gallery. As tho front gallory was usually occupied by pews owned by Individuals, tho choir was forced to tho sldo galleries. This poslti n was too cno-slded for tho mlnlstor whon ho gave out tho hymns. Then tho con gregation could not seo tho singers; con sequently romanco languished. Finally they occupied tho gallery In front of tho minister. A seat In tho stock exchange Is no less difficult to obtain tcday than wero many of these pows, whoso owners wero as tenacious of vested right as aro tholr English cousins. Less than fifty yoars ago Dr. Tucker, author of tho famous hymn book, In lieu of boy voices, trained a girl choir for choral service. In red cloaks and bonnets they lent a plcturesquo coltr noto to tho services nt Holy Cross, Troy, N. Y. Admission to tho surplice choir is through examination. Volco accepted, tho singer has her (measure taken for cap and gown, which Is worn ovor her street suit during sorvico. Tho church bears tho exponso of tho surpllco costume. When robed it would bo dlfllcult to distinguish men from women wero It not for tho cap, which tho latter wear In com pliance with St. Paul's injunction, that women should not enter tho tomplo with head uncovered. Unllko her early prototype, whoso servlcos wero gratuitous, tbo modern woman chorister Is paid from B0 conts to $5 a Sunday. Weddings and funerals, when full choral sorvico Is desired, increases their rovonuo. In somo churches, whoro tho organist Is gtvon full control of the music, and a round Bum Is allotted him by the trustees for tho payment of the choral service, tho salary Is left lo his discretion. Often ho trains tho untutorod voice In ox chango for its services In tho church. In this manner many women of line natural volco get their first Instruction, while ad vanced students aro enabled to pursuo voice culturo under special teachers with tho money they cam as choristers. In one of tho high ritualistic churches of New York women occupy the choir loft In tho rear of tho church, while tho mien aro in front, out sldo tho chancel. Tho women wear blue veils, after tho manner of the convent. Living Fashion Models Tho designs of this week's living fashion models aro appropriate to the. season and requiro but a fow words of explanation. Tho first plcturo shows a young woman attired in a bodice of white taffeta, elaborately stitched with gold-colored lloss and trimmed with yellow ribbon nnd tiny gilt buttons. Tho offect is mado nttractlve with a bow of black, stitched with yellow, which forms a finish at the throat. Tho smart little black tulle hut, dressed with masses of palo pink and white roses, Is a recent Importation from Parts and should' bo popular with those who contemplate a visit to tho World's Exposition Should tho big poko-shaped bonnet of black chip, showing a cluster of curling black ostrich tips falling over tho front, bo como popular with a largo number of women, It would probably add to tho dividends of tho o3trlch trust, recently or ganized by a Now York flnnncler. This bonnet Is dressed In tho back with pale yel low roses and Is tied under tho chin, some what to tho left, with narrow velvet ribbons. Woman's Club Movements Reports arc coming In showing the feeling concerning tho much-debated reorganization of tho general federation of womon's club3, and It appears by tho submitted report of tho chairman of tho committee of reorgani zation, Mrs. D. W. C. Drock, that In re sponso to tho circular sent out sho bad at tho tlmo of her writing (February 15) replies from twenty-two state federations and 118 federated clubs. Flftoen stato federations, representing 9-1,000 members, are In favor of tho proposed changes; seven state federations, representing 20,151 mem bers, aro opposed to It. In both cases thoro aro clubs that do not Indorso tho action of their stato federations. In most states tho matter has been thoroughly discussed el 1 1) or In state federation or club meetings and tho action reported to the stato president, who Issued circulars and appointed speakors on tho subject throughout tho state. Nearly all tho clubs and federations are opposed to the admission of national societies to mem bership In tho general fedoratlon. All but Colorado approvo of abolishing tbo ofllco of stuto chairman of correspondence. A largo numbor favor triennial meetings, All but Delaware, Iowa and Washington favor per capita dues. Theso states favor stato rep resentation, but profor that dues and rep resentation should bo by tho single club. On the other hand Georgia would prefer re turning to tho old plan of organization and give state federations no representation in the general federation. These statements nro perfectly clear and seem to convoy all nectssary Intelligence In another short paper by Mrs. Brock, which sho requests may bo read by ovory statu president to federated clubs and cir culated, with tho request that every club may know Its contents, It Is asked Unit any suggestions from clubs belonging to tho gon oral federation should report to tholr stato prestdont by April 15, so that eho may re port to Mrs. Urock at that tlmo; and It Is added that thb commltteo for reorganization has figured an annual Incoirlo of $5,500 as necessary for tho support of tho general fed eration. This would provldo for a stenog rapher for tho president and secretary, post ago, stationery, etc., and lcavo $1,000 for biennial meetings. Tho Denver blonnlal cost n llttlo less than $1,600 and $3,000 moro was paid by Individuals for speakors and a stenographer for tho program commltteo. Copies of tho majority and minority reports of tho commltteo have been sent to tho board of tho general fcdcitlon, with tho roqucst that they bo appended to tho call for tho next blonnlal meeting. Tho Important Items In tho majority roport aro that "tho general fedoratlon shall con sist of women's clubs, stato federations, na tional societies and kindred associations, tho two latter to bo admitted on tho bns!s of Individual clubs;" that "each fedorato dub and national society or kindred association shall bo ontltled to bo represented nt tho biennial by ono dolegato;" that "each stato fedoratlon shall bo entitled to bo rep resented at tho biennial by five delegates, ono of whom shall bo tho stato president," nnd that tho annual dues for clubs, national societies nnd kindred associations shall bo $G; tho annual dues for stato federations $15, to bo paid on tho first nf each succeeding May, and that "tho state federation shall hnvo charge of nil gcnernl federation busi ness In tho statu and shall appoint a fed eration commltteo ns ii means of communi cation between the stato and general federa tion." Apparently tho national societies arc doomed to disappointment nnd will bo obliged to flock by themselves, slncu Mrs, Urock reports that "almost nil tho clubs and federations nro opposed to the admis sion of national societies to membership In tho general federation." Tho facts aro that somo of theso societies havo made an un forttinntu record for themselves by reason of tholr troqucnt dissensions, not to pay squnbbles. Thoro may bo othor causes that work against their admission, but this Is sufllclcut In ltsolf. Itoports from stnto fodorattoiiH glvo In somo Instances nn outline of work for tho now club year, ns In tho cnao of Arkansas, which divides Its labors under flvo heads: Education, household economics, village tin provomont, music nnd art and club exten sion. Kindergartens, through tho work of tho Froobol association ns n part of tho fed oratlon, havo sprung tip all over tho statu and freo kindergartens In connection with tho public schools nro looked for as a soon to bo established fact. The legislative com mltteo presented three bills, nsklng for a reformatory, a woman physician In tho In snnu asylum nnd suffrage for women In the election of school directors ntid though theso bills wero not carried, It Is hoped similar futuro ones will bo. A great deal of sat isfactory work hns been done In tho way of planting shndu trees, beautifying public squarco and Inducing sanitary reforms by tho faithful vlllago improvement committor. Club extension committees hnvo opened reading rooms, started travollng libraries cm tholr rounds nnd In somo towns hand somo club and llbrnry buildings have been built by club women, nil of which work makes n record for Arkansas of which any stuto might bo proud. Connecticut's Individual clulm arc giving couiscH of lectures, looking Into state laws that bear on tho conditions of women, In teresting In art, literature and music. Ken tucky, ns everyone knows, has for the time east everything uIbu asldo nnd, at least nn far ns Its women nro concerned, Is making a noblo effort for better clvlo government. Tho present rampant lawlessness Ih a sore dlsgracu, and not only its club wonici, but Its women In general, aro lining nut only that "silent Influence" admired by such men us Cardinal Gibbons and ltev. Lyman Ab bott, but strenuously working openly mid nil tho tlmo for decency nnd peace. Ver mont, which created a llbrnry committee only iv yenr ago, reports four traveling libraries ready to bo sont out, those collections com ing from four clubs, but many others aro forming nnd will soon bu on their way. Ed ucatlou committees mado encouraging re ports, ns did also tlio committer on stato In stitutions. Modern English A man of lottors who visited Washington recently, rolnteo tho Columbian, appeared at but one dinner party during his stay. Then ho sat next to tho daughter of n noted naval ofllcor. Hor vocabulary Is of a kind pocullur to extremely young girls, but sho rattled away at tho famous man without n moment's respite. It was during tho pnuso In tho general conversation that sho said to him: "I'm awfully stuck on Shakespearo. Don't you think ho's terribly Interesting?" Everybody listened to hear the great man's roply, for ns a Shakespsnrenn scholar ho has few peers. "Yes," ho said, solemnly, 'I do think ho Is Interesting. I think ho Is moro tliiiu that. I think Shnkojpcaro is Just simply too cuto for anything." summon kaiiiuc, finish ami kit at modkuatk cost. You will want a spring Biilt. This cut bIiowb a fow of tho most popular styles, ranging from $12.50 to $15.00. Wo dovoto all our attention to Uidles' Tailored Garments thoreforo wo nro prepared lo give tho best values, best styles and A PEItFEOT FIT, which Is most essential. If you cannot visit our storo, wrlto and tell us tho color you want; stnto tho numbor of nny stylo shown nbovo that may pleaso you. Wo'll guaranteo satisfac tion. Wo also oxhlblt latest novelties In separnto Eton Jackets. IJox Coats. Waists. Dross I I I fl flMD CUITTD mm m m i.i nun rv.ui tail. Skirts, Golf Skirts, etc. OK SCQNELD Ifl 10 DouirlUK St., OMAHA